On friendship

Eight years ago this month, March 2005, I was earning a living driving a taxi.  March 2005 was a very good month for me.

Just about this time of the month, I met a young lady in the taxi.  I had finished a call and decided to grab a coffee before returning to my preferred cab stand.  I pulled onto the sidestreet that led to the drive-through entrance at my usual Tim Hortons (this is Ontario – of course it was a Timmy’s) when a girl flagged me down.  Coffee is good, but making money is better, so I picked her up.  She told me where she wanted to go and as I turned around, she asked me if I was Cat.  I admitted it and she told me a mutual friend had told her what a fabulous driver I was (her words, not mine).  I gave her my number and she began calling me whenever she needed a taxi. Even though I stopped driving in May of 2005 we remained friends until 2011.  I had a greater income than she, and there were a couple of times she asked to borrow money from me, which I gave her.  One day in July 2011, she asked again, but this time I just didn’t have it.   Never heard from her again.

About a week after I met this first lady, I met another young lady.  The story behind that meeting is this: her cousin, who was a regular customer, asked me to drive her into Toronto to pick up her cousin and bring them both out to my customer’s place for the weekend.  Have you ever met someone and instantly it’s as if you’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while?  That’s what it was like with this young lady.  Within five minutes, we  had bonded.  In the eight years since we met, our friendship has deepened to the point we consider each other a confidante. We’ve told each other our deepest, darkest secrets and know they will go no farther. We know each other’s moods and usually know how to lighten them if needed. She truly is my dearest friend.  Perhaps the most amazing part of our friendship is we’ve never argued.  We can discuss anything – politics, religion, you name it – and never argue.  I’m not saying we don’t disagree, but if we do find ourselves heading for words, one of us will end the phone call.  And within ten minutes, we’re on the phone again, potential argument behind us. Sometime this coming week, we’re going to get together and celebrate eight years of friction-free friendship.

Enjoy your day. I hope you are blessed with a similar friendship.  Remember to hug an artist – we need love (and true friendship) too.

Cat.

An essay on friends

In my posting “Some of this, some of that” of earlier today, I mentioned a friend in New Jersey.  That started me thinking about friends and friendship, so of course I have to write about it.

Friends come into our lives in various ways – through work, social settings, social media or mutual interests to name four ways this happens.  Obviously by “social media” I‘m referring to sites such as Facebook and other such sites.  And yes, I’ve actually met some of the people on my Facebook friends list and count them among my dearest friends.  And there is one lady, mentioned in “Some of this, some of that” who, because of some of our conversations, I do consider a friend in fact, not just on Facebook and am looking forward to meeting her some day.  Ms M, keep that in mind 🙂

One lady I first met through a mutual friend on MySpace (remember MySpace?).  We began chatting and arranged to meet one day at a Starbucks and have become good friends since.  By the way Carol, coffee’s on me next time 🙂

I drove a cab for several years and some of the people I first met as passengers have become friends and even though I haven’t driven in seven years, we remain close.

Sometimes people enter our lives, become friends, then suddenly are gone again.  My view is that we were brought together with these people for a specific purpose – either so they could influence us, or we, them – then, when the purpose is accomplished, they move on. Or their purpose is to introduce us to yet another person.  Yet because they were a part of our lives for even a brief moment, both we and them are better people for having met.  At least we hope they are better people for having known us.  I’ve had that happen a couple of times and yes, I am a better person for having come under the influence of these people.

I treasure my friends, am honoured that they consider me a friend as well and am always flattered when they comment on something I’ve posted either here on WordPress as words or as images on Facebook.  If you have close friends, friends you value, tell them so.

Now, enjoy your day, offer prayers and whatever support you can for the victims of Sandy and, remember to hug an artist – we need love (and friends) too.

Cat.